The Journey Home
What Makes a House a Home?
Maybe we’re looking at it all wrong
Home. The word evokes so many feelings. Home means something different to all of us, and there are many different ideas of what makes a house a home. But I think sometimes we focus on the wrong elements of a house when considering whether or not we can make it a home.
I have been on a search for home for many years. Most of my life, actually. I have finally found it, and now that we are beginning to settle in, I have been thinking about why this house spoke to me the first time I walked through the door.
What I can say is this house is not perfect. It is not new, or trendy, and it has its quirks. But the fact is, this house is perfect in all the ways that matter.
When we listed our previous house, the realtor asked if we wanted to offer a sizable chunk of money as a decorator’s bonus — “you know, so the buyers can knock down the popcorn ceilings, and paint, and replace the carpet,” she said.
My mouth dropped open. I tried really hard not to be offended.
We had just paid more money than I ever thought we would pay for a house and it has popcorn ceilings. The paint colors are not to my taste. And the carpet is in good shape but would be considered old and dated…
